Clean fuel supply in Kolkata is set to receive a significant boost in the coming months with the completion of the main trunk GAIL gas transportation pipeline, according to a senior official. Anupam Mukhopadhyay, CEO of Bengal Gas Company Ltd, stated that the GAIL gas pipeline would be completed within the next three months, with the resolution of an 800-meter hurdle and the necessary statutory clearances.
Bengal Gas is a JV between GAIL (India) Limited and Greater Calcutta Gas Supply Corporation Limited. Speaking on the sidelines of the Assocham-organised Energy Meet and Excellence Award event, Mukhopadhyay said completion of the work will facilitate an increase in natural gas supply in the region by three times.
The pipeline covering several districts in the state is laid by GAIL, and has already reached Durgapur. Only an 800-meter problem in Bardhaman district was delaying the completion to Kolkata but it is now resolved.
The pipeline is part of the Jagdhispur-Haldia pipeline project coming to West Bengal from Uttar Pradesh via Bihar and Jharkhand.
Mukhopadhyay added that the completion of the pipeline close to Kolkata’s landing point would allow for the expansion of CNG gas stations in the state.
Currently, Bengal Gas has 12 CNG pumps, but this number is expected to rise to 50 within a year and reach 100 by FY’26, he said.
In addition to the existing 61 CNG stations operated in the state by various companies, the pipeline will enable a stable and significantly increased supply of three times the current quantity in a much shorter time.
Regarding the city gas distribution network, Mukhopadhyay said that 30 kilometres of the proposed 500-km main city gas distribution steel pipeline have already been completed.
Furthermore, the plan includes the establishment of 5,000 kilometres of last-mile connectivity within the next three years for the city gas distribution network, he said.
HPCL is also investing in a big way for city gas distribution in the state. Meanwhile, the West Bengal government reiterated its commitment to the deployment of more rooftop solar panels in government buildings and educational institutions.
Babul Supriya, the state’s renewable energy Minister, emphasized the goal of advancing the use of solar energy in institutional buildings and subsequently promoting it among energy-intensive industries.
Currently, the state has completed 104 government buildings with such facilities. It has drawn plans for an additional 900 government schools and 50 colleges.
